Father Brown returns for series 13 on BBC One on Friday 9 January
Olivia Wheeler Content Editor Screen Time
12:10, 07 Jan 2026
Father Brown is set to return for its thirteenth series on Friday 9 January on BBC One.
Ahead of the beloved British period detective drama's return, the iconic Mark Williams, who has portrayed the titular character Father Brown since 2013, made an appearance on Wednesday's instalment of BBC Morning Live to discuss the upcoming season.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the much-loved Mrs McCarthy, portrayed by Sorcha Cusack, would be making an unexpected comeback to the programme after a four-year absence.
Mrs Bridgette McCarthy was a fixture from the very first episode back in 2013 but departed following the ninth series in 2022. Mrs McCarthy served as the Irish parish secretary at St Mary's, providing counsel and unwavering friendship to Father Brown.
The character, renowned for ensuring Father Brown was well-fed and celebrated for her prize-winning strawberry scones, was also known as a regular source of local gossip, reports the Express.
In subsequent series, leading up to her departure, Mrs McCarthy ceased to be Father Brown's parish secretary, having left Kembleford to relocate to Ireland and be nearer to her sister.
Nevertheless, it has now been confirmed that Mrs McCarthy is returning for series 13 following a four-year hiatus, with a preview clip showing her encountering Father Brown for the first time since her departure.
Speaking about the comeback on Wednesday's BBC Morning Live, Mark, 66, hinted: "Well Mrs McCarthy comes back on a mission and of course he's always been really fond of her.
"She's sort of a touchstone for him. He relies on her common sense, well he did rely on her common sense, and her kind of grounding. So he's very pleased to see her and her him I think!
"But thereby hangs a tale, so it all gets rather complicated very, very quickly."
Mark reprises his role as Father Brown, the crime-solving priest inspired by GK Chesterton's beloved literary creation, in the latest series.
The forthcoming season welcomes back popular returning cast members including Tom Chambers as Inspector Sullivan, Claudie Blakley as the newly-wed Mrs Isabel Sullivan, Ruby-May Martinwood as Brenda and John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow.
Making further comebacks are Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, John Light as Hercule Flambeau, Lex Shrapnel as Father Lazarus, Roger May as Canon Fox and Kieran Hodgson as Father Lindsey.
Guest stars such as Maureen Lipman, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Debra Stephenson, Davood Ghadami, Kevin Harvey, George Rainsford and Timothy Watson will appear alongside Mark Williams in the 13th series of the globally acclaimed drama produced by BBC Studios Drama Productions for BBC One and iPlayer.
Father Brown returns this Friday 9 January at 2pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.